Against War & Terror
For several weeks Socialist Alternative and Socialist Alternative Youth joined thousands of others in solidarity with the suffering of Palestine people at rallies in downtown Vancouver. Similar rallies have been held across Canada, some of which we have attended, and around the world. We will continue to support and build for these rallies for peace.
The Vancouver Art Gallery square was packed to protest the horrific assault on Gaza. It was striking that the hosts stressed that the rallies would not tolerate racism or anti-Semitism. This is an important point. Strongly condemning the actions of the Israeli regime is not anti-Semitic, just as criticizing the actions of the Canadian government is not anti-Canadian.
The rallies showed overwhelming support for the plight of Palestinian people. Unfortunately, at least one speaker at one of Vancouver’s rallies ignored the hosts’ request, describing Hamas’s bloody attack on Israel as “the amazing, brilliant offensive waged on October 7.” Most of the crowd fell into a shocked silence over this.
Many at the rallies featured the controversial slogan, “From the River to the Sea.” Hamas has used this slogan in an anti-Semitic manner, meaning that the Jews should be pushed into the sea, as Sheikh Hassan el-Bana, head of the Muslim Brotherhood said in 1948. Others claim a different interpretation: that it calls for a secular democratic state to be established in all of historic Palestine. Given the slogan’s historic associations and the meaning some give to it, Socialist Alternative does not support it.
Support for the Palestinian’s democratic rights does not equal support for Hamas — a right-wing movement that does not support women’s rights or labour unions.
The roots of the conflict go back decades, in what is one of the longest international conflicts in history with the residents of Gaza being held in the biggest “open-air prison” on Earth. The Palestinians have endured unbearable living conditions since the persecution and displacement of the 1948 Nakba (“Catastrophe” of displacement from their homes). Israel occupied Gaza from the 1967 war to 2005 and since then has imposed strict controls on the flow of people and goods.
Events escalated dramatically after the brutal October 7 attack by Hamas, which left over 1,400 Israelis dead and over 200 people taken hostage. This assault shocked and traumatized Israelis.
Since then, beleaguered Netanyahu regime has tried to regain authority by launching a vicious assault on Gaza — bombing indiscriminately for maximum destruction. At the time of writing over 10,000 Palestinians, including nearly 4,000 children, have been killed in the bombings: if not from weapons, from injuries, sickness, dehydration and starvation — these will kill even more. The Israeli government, supported by US President Biden, have imposed a total siege of Gaza, cutting off supplies of electricity, fuel, water, food and medicine to Gaza.
On Friday, October 26, Israel completely cut off internet service in Gaza. No civilians or press could communicate with the outside world for 36 hours. Ambulances and doctors were unable to communicate. Shortly after, the bombardment of Gaza reached the highest levels since October 7 — already 10,000 bombs have been dropped on an area the size of Seattle. Images from the Egyptian border show the horizon aglow in the middle of the night from the fires of Gaza. The Israeli regime has broken the international treaties on not targeting civilian populations, carrying out “collective punishment” on the Palestinian population.
The cruelty and callousness of global capitalism and governments is on full display. The US was one of 14 states who voted against a United Nations motion calling for a ceasefire. Israel and the US do not even support a ceasefire to allow food, medical supplies, water and fuel to enter Gaza and the injured to be evacuated.
Canada was among 45 countries who abstained — neutral on human suffering! Although passing, this resolution is non-binding. The UN security council can pass binding resolutions but has been unable to do so as any one of US, Russia, Britian, China or France almost always veto such resolutions.
Even the vote to carry the resolution does not translate into anything material. Switzerland voted for the motion, but all demonstrations related to the conflict have been banned in Zurich. Pro-Palestine rallies have been banned in Germany and France with other European states, including the UK, using rhetoric to threaten the freedom to protest and even simply waving the Palestinian flag.
These rights have not been restricted in Canada as of yet and we can expect more rallies in the coming days and weeks. The last two rallies in so-called Vancouver – Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh territory – have been filled with speakers pointing to the hypocrisy of the Canadian state. While forcing a false “truth and reconciliation” upon Indigenous communities, priding itself as progressive, the Canadian government continues to maintain colonial policies at home and support them abroad.
Canada sent more than $20 million in military goods to Israel in 2022, making it the third-highest year for Canadian military exports to Israel on record. On October 29, the Canadian Department of National Defence confirmed Canadian special forces members, including the Joint Task Force 2 (JTF2), have been deployed to Israel.
“As there is potential for the escalation of hostilities in the Middle East, including at the border separating Israel and Lebanon, Global Affairs Canada has requested [Canadian Armed Forces] support to ensure a rapid response should the security situation rapidly deteriorate and support for the evacuation of Canadians is required,” the department said in a statement.
No long-term peace can be achieved in the region if it is left up to capitalist governments and militaries.
The deployment of special forces has little to do with the safety of working-class people in the region and everything to do with imperialist powers maintaining control over this prized and strategic region. A more illuminating quote on the deployment of Canadian soldiers to Israel comes from retired Major-General Denis Thompson, a former commander of the Canadian Special Operations Forces Command, “There’s certainly a close relationship between Canada Special Operations Forces and the Israeli Defense Forces… so there’s nothing surprising here and it’s pretty much par for the course.”
The “course” being the maintenance of global capitalism and the domination of western imperialism in this new cold war era no matter the human cost.
Socialist Alternative and our fellow members in Israel and Palestine point to the root cause of this war. Israeli capitalism, backed by Western imperialism, has a huge military power superiority (including nuclear weapons), carries out state terrorism by enforcing occupation, annexation, ethnic cleansing, and denial of basic rights to millions, including the right to self-determination. In the face of siege, occupation, and now ground invasion, the Palestinian people have the right to defend themselves, including by arms. But this defence has to be mass-based and democratically controlled, linked to actions such as workers’ strike action and mass marches, with organized and armed self-defence. If built, it would take the movement to a new level.
It will be necessary that the global working class also take up the tools of mass struggle to aid in building an international anti-war movement, demanding a ceasefire, rehabilitation of communities on both sides of the fence and for a solution based on the right of self-determination, with ensured rights for all to exist in dignity, freed from poverty. Class unity is the core of a struggle for socialist change in the region.
We say:
- Build a mass international anti-war movement. Unions to help mobilize larger mass protests of workers, young people, anti-war and anti-racist campaigners across Canada.
- Stop Israel’s war on Gaza! Withdraw Israeli troops immediately, stop the bombing, and prevent the spread of war throughout the region.
- End the siege and the occupation! Solidarity with residents from both national communities that face indiscriminate attacks, imprisonment, and destruction of lives.
- Resist attacks on the democratic right to protest, including all attempts to repress pro-Palestine speech and rallies.
- For mass struggle against occupation and war, for a socialist Palestinian state with its capital in East Jerusalem, for socialist change in Israel and in the whole region.
